Eastern European Vacation Day 18

Sunday November 14th, 2010.
Our last day of vacation; sigh, sigh again. Today was spent taking in more of the sights of Rome; we explored the ancient Forum, Coliseum and Circus Massimo. The weather was absolutely brilliant – I should have put on shorts and a t-shirt, but unfortunately I had mostly brought winter clothes; it must be that global warming thing. The crowds were not too big and the vendors and hawkers were out in force – including the guys dressed in full Roman soldier outfits looking to make a buck by posing for pictures with the tourists; I suppose everyone has to make a living somehow.

In the afternoon we walked around the Trastavere area of Rome which has lots of winding backstreets and seems to be a very “working class” area. The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastavere was well worth seeing; although smaller than many of the other churches it was very ornately decorated inside. From Trastavere we made our away across the river to the Palazzo Spada which houses a small art collection – however when we got there we were a bit knackered and so we did not go in.

We headed back to the hotel in the late afternoon and on the way back we noticed several city employees walking along the banks of the river whilst broadcasting very loud hawk calls through bullhorns – this in an attempt to stop the flocks of sparrows from roosting in the trees, and crapping all over the paths and cars. This bird scaring approach should definitely be reviewed as we saw several cars absolutely plastered in shite, and the smell along the footpath, in places, initiated spontaneous retching.

Just a comment about the taxi drivers in Rome… almost all of them are retired formula one racing car drivers. My best advice is to just shut your eyes and prey – rosaries can be purchased in the vicinity of the Vatican to support his activity, I highly recommend them (and I’m not even a catholic).

On the recommendation of the hotel concierge we made our final dining destination a small restaurant in a tiny square about a block from the Pantheon. The food was great and we sat outside even though the patio area had no heat lamps. From my seat I could actually see the Pantheon – awesome. I finished off the meal with a glass of ice cold Lemoncello – it’s a bit like drinking a very alcoholic, sweetened purée of lemon rinds – no actually it’s a lot like that!

We’ve had 18 fantastic days of vacation – but tomorrow we have to head home, and for me at least – head back to work. Oh well, there’s always next year.